US-Taliban Deal Like Seeing ‘Pakeezah’ After 17 Trailers: EAM
Incidentally, director Kamal Amrohi took 14 years to complete ‘Pakeezah’.
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Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar on Monday, 2 March, likened the US Taliban deal, which could end the 18-year war in Afghanistan, to the seeing the 1975 film Pakeezah after watching 17 trailers.
Speaking at an event organised by the Centre for Policy Research in Delhi, he added that the deal did not come as a surprise and that India was watching the space closely to see that the gains of the last two decades were not lost.
Incidentally, director Kamal Amrohi took over 14 years to complete and release Pakeezah.
Achievements Shouldn’t Be Lost: Jaishankar’s Message to US
The external affairs minister also that India would have to watch and see how things play out in the wake of the peace deal.
“I do believe that the past 20 years have brought about big changes in the war-torn country. This is not the Afghanistan of 2001. Our message to the US is the achievements should not be lost. We have to wait and see how it plays out,” he said.
The United States and the Afghan Taliban on Saturday, 29 February, signed a deal in Doha allowing for further peace talks and the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, potentially ending the longest war the US has ever fought.
After an initial reduction of troops to 8,600 within 135 days of Saturday’s signing, the US and its partners “will complete the withdrawal of their remaining forces from Afghanistan within 14 months... and will withdraw all their forces from remaining bases,” the declaration stated, according to the news agency.
The ceremony was attended by Indian ambassador P Kumaran, as India was extended a formal invitation.
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